Desert Tribesmen
"I know of nobody alive today who could pass from one end of the Sea of Sand to the other without aide from the desert tribesmen..." : - Empress Ma-Jah Vahn-Duj, when asked why the Empire does not forcefully settle the Sea of Sand. The Desert Tribesmen The desert tribesmen are a hardy people who roam across vast desert land from water supply to water supply, helping lost travellers when their resources may be spared, or attacking them when their resources are dwindling badly. The desert tribesmen cannot truly be regarded as good or evil as, although they do not hesitate to kill innocents to survive themselves, they truly believe that the life energies of those killed are not lost from the physical world. In their minds, they are not extinguishing another's life, but are instead returning the life to it's homeland. Location The Desert Tribesmen occupy the Sea of Sand which is culturally a part of the Sellederre Empire. Although the Sea of Sand is one of the closest most points to the Redland Empire, which have declared war of the Sellederre Empire, a series of impassible natural landmarks separates the otherwise close regions of land, making the Sea of Sand virtually untouchable to the Redland Empire. Lifestyle The Desert Tribesmen allow for one of the longest true childhoods out of any culture. Young tribesmen are encouraged to play in the wilderness into their late teens under the watchful eyes of guardians, so that they learn the ways of the desert and wildlore. It is only once a tribesmen has undertaken a rite of passage that they are considered an adult, and as the rite of passage itself may involve long quests of many years, it is possible for a desert tribesman to still be considered a "child" well into their twenties. Once a tribesman has undertaken a rite of passage, which may involve anything from a spirit journey to questing for a fabled artefact of power, they can expect a life primarily devoted to preserving the culture of their people and imbuing that knowledge among the next generation. Occasionally, some tribesmen might live a life devoted to a single profession within their tribe, but that is unusual. Magic Much like their cousins in the rest of the Sellederre Empire, the Desert Tribesmen are highly gifted with arcane ability but possess almost no affinity for divine magic. It is not uncommon for Desert Tribesmen to visit places of learning in order to enhance their magical knowledge, though most are content with their individual bloodline powers which emerge and grow over time. Isolationist History The Desert Tribesmen have never truly considered themselves a part of any greater society: Indeed, they only accept inclusion within the Sellederre Empire so long as they are allowed complete rule of their own lands and peoples. Furthermore, individual tribes rarely work closely together. This has lead to a somewhat isolationist history in which they have rarely influenced or been influenced by history one way or another. It is not surprising, therefore, that most peoples know very little about the Desert Tribesmen. Current Events With war erupting between the Sellederre Empire and Redland Empire over the last few years, the Desert Tribesmen have begun acting somewhat strangely. Frequently, travellers report that they have been helped by the Desert Tribesmen in exchange for information of the outside world even though the desert tribesmen were clearly low on resources themselves. Furthermore, all conflict between individual desert tribes have ceased. Some have interpreted this as suggesting the Desert Tribesmen intend to involve themselves in the war - though, true to their unpredictable nature, it is impossible to say when or where their involvement shall occur.